Clustered around a lumpy outcrop of eroded rocks, 4-km up the valley from Chemrey, the small Gompa of Thak Thok (pronounced Tak Tak and meaning "top of the rocks") is the sole representative in Ladakh of the ancient Nyingmapa order.
The Main Temple
The main shrine here is a cave in which the apostle Padmasambhava is said to have meditated during his epic 8th century journey to Tibet. Blackened over the years by sticky but ter-lamp and incense smoke, the dark and mysterious grotto is now somewhat upstaged by the monastery's more modern wings nearby. As well as some spectacular thirty-year-old wall paintings, the Urgyan Photan Du-khang harbours a collection of multicoloured yak butter candle sculptures made by the head lama.
For a glimpse of "State of the art" Buddhist iconography, head to the top of Thak Thok village, where a shiny new temple houses a row of huge gleaming Buddhas, decked out in silk robes and surrounded by garish modern murals.
The Festivities Apart from during the annual festivals of Thak Thok Tse Chu (9-11 of the sixth Tibetan month) and viz Thak Thok Manchog (20-29 of the ninth Tibetan month), the village itself is a tranquil place, blessed with serene views south over the snowy mountains behind Hemis.
HOW TO GET THERE
Road: Three buses a day leave Leh for Thak Thok: the first and most convenient at 10.30 am, and the last at 4.00 pm, returning at 7.00 pm.
WHERE TO STAY Accommodation is available in the J&KTDC tourist bungalow. There are also plenty of ideal camping spots beside the river, although as ever one should seek permission before putting up a tent on someone's field.